Duale urges investigative agencies to probe organ trafficking claims

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has announced that there are sufficient grounds to urgently initiate a thorough investigation into organ transplantation activities in the country, particularly in light of recent widespread claims of potential organ trafficking.

Duale noted that the findings of a multidisciplinary team, which investigated concerns about an organized syndicate evading existing regulations and harbouring suspicions of organ trafficking, necessitate a comprehensive audit to uncover the truth.

“The allegation of organ trafficking must be investigated by the relevant authorities, as some of the recipients and donors are coming from more advanced health systems to a relatively new transplant programme, and the reasons given cannot be ascertained,” he stated.

Renowned for its organ transplants, the multidisciplinary team—comprising kidney transplant specialists, ethicists, representatives from the Kenya Blood Transfusion and Transplant Services, the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union, the Ministry of Health, and academic experts—observed that Mediheal Hospital in Eldoret, currently under investigation, lacked sufficient documentation to verify the relationships between donors and recipients. They noted that the documents supplied indicated that some donors were from various nationalities.

The team further identified that all Human Leukocyte Antigen tests were conducted in India without the necessary approval from the Ministry of Health for the shipping of human samples outside the country. Additionally, they found that there was no translation of documents for both donors and recipients who did not understand English. This is why Duale believes a significant investigation is essential to reveal the truth.

“Foreigners coming into the country for transplant services need a centralized registry for reference and must indicate their relationship status with the necessary documentation from their country of origin,” he said.

At the same time, the Health Cabinet Secretary noted that the multidisciplinary investigations confirmed high-risk transplants at Mediheal Hospital. This includes cases involving patients with confirmed prostate cancer and recipients at extreme ages. He further highlighted that transplants were performed despite poor compatibility between donors and recipients.

He confirmed that the Ministry will conduct a comprehensive clinical audit at Mediheal Hospital and seven other transplant facilities across the country. The aim of the audit is to ensure compliance with national transplant regulations.

The CS stated that the Ministry of Health has developed National Standards and Guidelines for Transplant Services to enhance clinical management for both donors and recipients, and is now awaiting approval.

The Ministry of Health is also crafting a legislative and regulatory framework to protect against organ trafficking and transplant tourism.

“National Standards and Regulatory Frameworks in transplant services will seal legal loopholes that can be exploited to allow for clandestine, unregulated transplants,” he added.

The Transplantation Society raised an alarm in 2023 following concerns over an increase in Israeli nationals receiving kidney transplants in Kenya. The society cited transplants involving trafficked foreign kidney donors allegedly conducted at Mediheal Hospital in Eldoret.